I'm another one that loves languages. I'd like to learn Latin (more than the ecclesiastical Latin I learned in school) and Greek, for starters. And, although I'm fluent in Portuguese and it is my first language, I'd like to perfect my vocabulary skills.

Can I ask you then, how alike are Portuguese and Spanish? I've never known if they're quite close or more distant, like French and Italian?

I've heard people speaking Portuguese and it sounded beautiful though

Liz, here, where I live (a small college town in Mississippi, USA), I know a woman from Brazil (of course a native Portuguese speaker) who married a man from Puerto Rico (of course a native Spanish speaker). She says that it took them some time to adjust to each other when they were dating, so that they even had to use some English to clarify their points. But now, when it's been a good number of years and they have two kids, they understand each other very well when each of them speaks his/her own language.

I have family and friends from Brazil. There is a vast difference between Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Portuguese spoken in Brazil. And, the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico is significantly different from Spanish spoken in Spain or even Mexico. Both are dialects of the mother tongue and use slang abundantly. That slang has become part of the vernacular. I can truly say, it is easier for me to understand Spanish than it is to understand Brazilian Portuguese. And, unless my Puerto Rican friends slow down their Spanish and pronounce all the letters in their words (which they often don't), then all is lost.

I disagree, Latin American Spanish is much clearer than Iberian Spanish. Yet I converse with with friends from Spain all the time and we understand each other perfectly. They are not dialects. It is like American English and British English, same difference. Different ways of expressing oneself but it is the same language, Castilian.

« Last Edit: March 28, 2010, 05:21:59 PM by ChristusDominus »

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There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. - Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

However, it is much easier for Portuguese speakers to understand the Spanish language than the reverse.

A former schoolmate (from Peru) would echo your sentiments: he spoke Portuguese and Spanish (and Basque, to boot) and said that those who spoke the former could usually understand the latter without formal training, but not vice-versa.

However, it is much easier for Portuguese speakers to understand the Spanish language than the reverse.

A former schoolmate (from Peru) would echo your sentiments: he spoke Portuguese and Spanish (and Basque, to boot) and said that those who spoke the former could usually understand the latter without formal training, but not vice-versa.

Unless you speak Galician (Gallego), spoken in Northwest Spain and other regions. It is closely related to Portuguese. More so than Castilian Spanish.

There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. - Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

However, it is much easier for Portuguese speakers to understand the Spanish language than the reverse.

A former schoolmate (from Peru) would echo your sentiments: he spoke Portuguese and Spanish (and Basque, to boot) and said that those who spoke the former could usually understand the latter without formal training, but not vice-versa.

Unless you speak Galician (Gallego), spoken in Northwest Spain and other regions. It is closely related to Portuguese. More so than Castilian Spanish.

However, it is much easier for Portuguese speakers to understand the Spanish language than the reverse.

A former schoolmate (from Peru) would echo your sentiments: he spoke Portuguese and Spanish (and Basque, to boot) and said that those who spoke the former could usually understand the latter without formal training, but not vice-versa.

OMG that guy is like me except that he speaks basque.Basque and Galician. Why did God have to take away Basque away from me? it's so cool and mighty. it's awesome beyond belief.it has at least 45 noun declensions. while Greek has 15.Your friend is so lucky.I wish I could talk to that guy.Euskadi....

I'm another one that loves languages. I'd like to learn Latin (more than the ecclesiastical Latin I learned in school) and Greek, for starters. And, although I'm fluent in Portuguese and it is my first language, I'd like to perfect my vocabulary skills.

Can I ask you then, how alike are Portuguese and Spanish? I've never known if they're quite close or more distant, like French and Italian?

I've heard people speaking Portuguese and it sounded beautiful though

Liz, here, where I live (a small college town in Mississippi, USA), I know a woman from Brazil (of course a native Portuguese speaker) who married a man from Puerto Rico (of course a native Spanish speaker). She says that it took them some time to adjust to each other when they were dating, so that they even had to use some English to clarify their points. But now, when it's been a good number of years and they have two kids, they understand each other very well when each of them speaks his/her own language.

I have family and friends from Brazil. There is a vast difference between Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Portuguese spoken in Brazil. And, the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico is significantly different from Spanish spoken in Spain or even Mexico. Both are dialects of the mother tongue and use slang abundantly. That slang has become part of the vernacular. I can truly say, it is easier for me to understand Spanish than it is to understand Brazilian Portuguese. And, unless my Puerto Rican friends slow down their Spanish and pronounce all the letters in their words (which they often don't), then all is lost.

I disagree, Latin American Spanish is much clearer than Iberian Spanish. Yet I converse with with friends from Spain all the time and we understand each other perfectly. They are not dialects. It is like American English and British English, same difference. Different ways of expressing oneself but it is the same language, Castilian.

I am not sure what is meant by the term dialect. for example, isn't standard American English a dialect of the English language?

OMG that guy is like me except that he speaks basque.Basque and Galician. Why did God have to take away Basque away from me? it's so cool and mighty. it's awesome beyond belief.it has at least 45 noun declensions. while Greek has 15.Your friend is so lucky.I wish I could talk to that guy.Euskadi....

Are you a Vasco? Both my parents had Basque surnames but I don't consider myself Basque becasue I was not born in the Basque country nor do I speak the language. But Galician is quite different than Basque. I am sure you know that Basque is not a Latin based language. Supposedly, it is a pre-roman language of unknown origin. But my real question is this: How did God take Basque away from you? I'm just a bit curious.

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There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. - Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

However, it is much easier for Portuguese speakers to understand the Spanish language than the reverse.

A former schoolmate (from Peru) would echo your sentiments: he spoke Portuguese and Spanish (and Basque, to boot) and said that those who spoke the former could usually understand the latter without formal training, but not vice-versa.

Unless you speak Galician (Gallego), spoken in Northwest Spain and other regions. It is closely related to Portuguese. More so than Castilian Spanish.

sadly That's one language that I'll never learn, the language of my forefathers. Galiz.

Ok, so you're Galego?

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There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. - Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

However, it is much easier for Portuguese speakers to understand the Spanish language than the reverse.

A former schoolmate (from Peru) would echo your sentiments: he spoke Portuguese and Spanish (and Basque, to boot) and said that those who spoke the former could usually understand the latter without formal training, but not vice-versa.

Unless you speak Galician (Gallego), spoken in Northwest Spain and other regions. It is closely related to Portuguese. More so than Castilian Spanish.

I can (barely) understand most Romance languages (except Romenian, probably due to lack of contact with it) and even try to communicate back.

Galician is very close to Portuguese and although it requires more attention than usual, if the two parts are willing we can have a conversation.

I can read phonetically Greek, Russian and Ukrainian (side-effects of my conversion to Orthodoxy) and I hope to learn at least one of those fluently in the future.

I can play reading basic Latin as well.

I had some basic lessons of Japanese but forgot most of it. When my nissei friend says some sentences I understand the most basic phrases.

I'm not too keen of made-up languages like Quenya or Esperanto.

I know Cobol, RPG, and I'm learning Java.

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Many Energies, 3 Persons, 2 Natures, 1 God, 1 Church, 1 Baptism, and 1 Cup. The Son begotten only from the Father, the Spirit proceeding only from the Father, Each glorifying the Other. The Son sends the Spirit, the Spirit Reveals the Son, the Father is seen in the Son. The Spirit spoke through the Prophets and Fathers and does so even today.

I'm another one that loves languages. I'd like to learn Latin (more than the ecclesiastical Latin I learned in school) and Greek, for starters. And, although I'm fluent in Portuguese and it is my first language, I'd like to perfect my vocabulary skills.

Can I ask you then, how alike are Portuguese and Spanish? I've never known if they're quite close or more distant, like French and Italian?

I've heard people speaking Portuguese and it sounded beautiful though

Liz, here, where I live (a small college town in Mississippi, USA), I know a woman from Brazil (of course a native Portuguese speaker) who married a man from Puerto Rico (of course a native Spanish speaker). She says that it took them some time to adjust to each other when they were dating, so that they even had to use some English to clarify their points. But now, when it's been a good number of years and they have two kids, they understand each other very well when each of them speaks his/her own language.

I have family and friends from Brazil. There is a vast difference between Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Portuguese spoken in Brazil. And, the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico is significantly different from Spanish spoken in Spain or even Mexico. Both are dialects of the mother tongue and use slang abundantly. That slang has become part of the vernacular. I can truly say, it is easier for me to understand Spanish than it is to understand Brazilian Portuguese. And, unless my Puerto Rican friends slow down their Spanish and pronounce all the letters in their words (which they often don't), then all is lost.

I disagree, Latin American Spanish is much clearer than Iberian Spanish. Yet I converse with with friends from Spain all the time and we understand each other perfectly. They are not dialects. It is like American English and British English, same difference. Different ways of expressing oneself but it is the same language, Castilian.

I am not sure what is meant by the term dialect. for example, isn't standard American English a dialect of the English language?

No. What a dialect is, is controversial. Check out wikipedia per usual.

I can speak and write standard "High German" and standard "Austrian". There are small differences. I can speak Salzburgerisch. It is a dialect. Its grammar, lexicon, etc. is very different from either of the above. It is a regional manner of speech held over from Middle High German. Speaking Salzburgerish around a buncha Germans other than those from Bayern (Bayerisch is similar) they will understand next to nill. Likewise, if my friends and I travel to Vorarlberg we will understand very little of their dialect.

Often what English speakers call "dialect" is nothing other than their standard language peppered with regionalisms.

For a good example of true English dialect see Cockney, when being unforgiving to outsiders in their speech, they are almost nearly impossible to understand by other English speakers.

I'm another one that loves languages. I'd like to learn Latin (more than the ecclesiastical Latin I learned in school) and Greek, for starters. And, although I'm fluent in Portuguese and it is my first language, I'd like to perfect my vocabulary skills.

Can I ask you then, how alike are Portuguese and Spanish? I've never known if they're quite close or more distant, like French and Italian?

I've heard people speaking Portuguese and it sounded beautiful though

Liz, here, where I live (a small college town in Mississippi, USA), I know a woman from Brazil (of course a native Portuguese speaker) who married a man from Puerto Rico (of course a native Spanish speaker). She says that it took them some time to adjust to each other when they were dating, so that they even had to use some English to clarify their points. But now, when it's been a good number of years and they have two kids, they understand each other very well when each of them speaks his/her own language.

I have family and friends from Brazil. There is a vast difference between Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Portuguese spoken in Brazil. And, the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico is significantly different from Spanish spoken in Spain or even Mexico. Both are dialects of the mother tongue and use slang abundantly. That slang has become part of the vernacular. I can truly say, it is easier for me to understand Spanish than it is to understand Brazilian Portuguese. And, unless my Puerto Rican friends slow down their Spanish and pronounce all the letters in their words (which they often don't), then all is lost.

I disagree, Latin American Spanish is much clearer than Iberian Spanish. Yet I converse with with friends from Spain all the time and we understand each other perfectly. They are not dialects. It is like American English and British English, same difference. Different ways of expressing oneself but it is the same language, Castilian.

I am not sure what is meant by the term dialect. for example, isn't standard American English a dialect of the English language?

No. What a dialect is, is controversial. Check out wikipedia per usual.

I'm another one that loves languages. I'd like to learn Latin (more than the ecclesiastical Latin I learned in school) and Greek, for starters. And, although I'm fluent in Portuguese and it is my first language, I'd like to perfect my vocabulary skills.

Can I ask you then, how alike are Portuguese and Spanish? I've never known if they're quite close or more distant, like French and Italian?

I've heard people speaking Portuguese and it sounded beautiful though

Liz, here, where I live (a small college town in Mississippi, USA), I know a woman from Brazil (of course a native Portuguese speaker) who married a man from Puerto Rico (of course a native Spanish speaker). She says that it took them some time to adjust to each other when they were dating, so that they even had to use some English to clarify their points. But now, when it's been a good number of years and they have two kids, they understand each other very well when each of them speaks his/her own language.

I have family and friends from Brazil. There is a vast difference between Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Portuguese spoken in Brazil. And, the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico is significantly different from Spanish spoken in Spain or even Mexico. Both are dialects of the mother tongue and use slang abundantly. That slang has become part of the vernacular. I can truly say, it is easier for me to understand Spanish than it is to understand Brazilian Portuguese. And, unless my Puerto Rican friends slow down their Spanish and pronounce all the letters in their words (which they often don't), then all is lost.

I disagree, Latin American Spanish is much clearer than Iberian Spanish. Yet I converse with with friends from Spain all the time and we understand each other perfectly. They are not dialects. It is like American English and British English, same difference. Different ways of expressing oneself but it is the same language, Castilian.

I am not sure what is meant by the term dialect. for example, isn't standard American English a dialect of the English language?

No. What a dialect is, is controversial. Check out wikipedia per usual.

wikipedia is hardly the end of discussion on the matter of any subject. If you do read the article and the appropriate linked articles, you will find that it states the definition of "dialect" is a matter of controversy.

You will see some of my ideas of what dialect means to me in my posts above.

The fact that a region of America calls a can of Coca-Cola a soda, another a pop, another, a coke, etc. does not a dialect make.

I can read whole pages of greek and latin without dictionary the same way I could read a french newspaper. Especially in Latin, I learned it since I was 11 and have been doing it pretty extensively ever since.

Portuguese (Mother-Tongue), English (Second Language), Spanish (Intermmediate), French (basic for speaking, intermmediate for reading). With some struggle I can understand Italian and, even less efficiently, Latin. Will learn Modern and Koine Greek at some point.

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Many Energies, 3 Persons, 2 Natures, 1 God, 1 Church, 1 Baptism, and 1 Cup. The Son begotten only from the Father, the Spirit proceeding only from the Father, Each glorifying the Other. The Son sends the Spirit, the Spirit Reveals the Son, the Father is seen in the Son. The Spirit spoke through the Prophets and Fathers and does so even today.

French (mother tongue)Proficient in English, Spanish, good knowledge of Portuguese.

Isso é bem incomum. Um brinde à língua de Camões!

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Many Energies, 3 Persons, 2 Natures, 1 God, 1 Church, 1 Baptism, and 1 Cup. The Son begotten only from the Father, the Spirit proceeding only from the Father, Each glorifying the Other. The Son sends the Spirit, the Spirit Reveals the Son, the Father is seen in the Son. The Spirit spoke through the Prophets and Fathers and does so even today.

I can read whole pages of greek and latin without dictionary the same way I could read a french newspaper. Especially in Latin, I learned it since I was 11 and have been doing it pretty extensively ever since.

Awesome I plan to learn latin and ancient greek at the University.

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Do not be cast down over the struggle - the Lord loves a brave warrior. The Lord loves the soul that is valiant.

I can read whole pages of greek and latin without dictionary the same way I could read a french newspaper. Especially in Latin, I learned it since I was 11 and have been doing it pretty extensively ever since.

English (first language); reasonably fluent in French and Spanish; studied a bit of Italian; studied Latin and Greek long enough ago that they were scarcely ancient languages ; when I was in Paraguay I learned enough Guaraní as I told my friends "to know when you're talking about me" (I did catch them a couple of times ), also while in Paraguay accustomed my ear to Brazilian Portuguese, though I've lost most of that now, but can generally make sense of what I read because of my knowledge of related languages.

Time to learn another - I hear it's good for sexagenarians to do so before we start to lose our mem

Serbian (the closest language to my heart) and of course Croatian, Bosnian etc. Polish (this one I'm most fluent in)EnglishSpanish (bilingual section in High School)Some UkrainianI understand quite well Russian, but unfortunately I don't speak it (I hope one day...)

I would love to study Arabic (I know writting and reading, some basic grammar and words) at the Warsaw University. Now I'm learning Church Slavonic. I used to study Hindi and German, but as for the first one, I know only how to read and write it and very basic things, as for the second one - I remember only a few sentences.

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Pray for persecuted Christians, especially in Serbian Kosovo and Raška, Egypt and Syria

English (first language); reasonably fluent in French and Spanish; studied a bit of Italian; studied Latin and Greek long enough ago that they were scarcely ancient languages ; when I was in Paraguay I learned enough Guaraní as I told my friends "to know when you're talking about me" (I did catch them a couple of times ), also while in Paraguay accustomed my ear to Brazilian Portuguese, though I've lost most of that now, but can generally make sense of what I read because of my knowledge of related languages.

Time to learn another - I hear it's good for sexagenarians to do so before we start to lose our mem

Two in the same day who can understand Portuguese? It seems the language is gaining quite a following recently.

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Many Energies, 3 Persons, 2 Natures, 1 God, 1 Church, 1 Baptism, and 1 Cup. The Son begotten only from the Father, the Spirit proceeding only from the Father, Each glorifying the Other. The Son sends the Spirit, the Spirit Reveals the Son, the Father is seen in the Son. The Spirit spoke through the Prophets and Fathers and does so even today.

I can read whole pages of greek and latin without dictionary the same way I could read a french newspaper. Especially in Latin, I learned it since I was 11 and have been doing it pretty extensively ever since.

Awesome I plan to learn latin and ancient greek at the University.

If you need any help with it don't hesitate to ask me for help.

Thanks

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Do not be cast down over the struggle - the Lord loves a brave warrior. The Lord loves the soul that is valiant.